Learn About Darts
Darts Anatomy
A dart has four main parts — the point, barrel, shaft, and flight. Each affects accuracy, grip, and balance, making understanding your dart essential to improving your throw.
Dart Barrels
The grip — usually tungsten.”The thick middle section you hold when throwing. Most quality darts use tungsten barrels, prized for their slim profile, high density, and durability. The barrel controls the dart’s weight, balance, and grip texture — making it the heart of dart performance.
Dart Points
Where the dart meets the board.”The sharp steel or soft tip that sticks into the dartboard. Points can be fixed or moveable, reducing bounce-outs and improving accuracy.
Dart Shafts
“The connector.”The slim piece that joins the barrel to the flight. Shafts vary in length and material (plastic, nylon, aluminum), adjusting stability and throw style.
Dart Flights
“The wings.”The fin at the back that stabilizes the dart mid-air. Larger flights give more control with added drag; smaller ones cut quicker through the air for a faster throw.
Dartboard Anatomy
A dartboard is split into 20 numbered sections plus the bullseye, with singles, doubles, and trebles shaping the score. Knowing its parts is the first step to mastering the game.
Segments
The segment — one of the 20 pie-slice sections fanning around the dartboard. Each carries its own number, with single, double, and treble zones shaping its value. Land in the wide middle for a plain score, squeeze the outer ring for a double, or thread the slim inner strip for a treble. Segments dictate scoring flow, forming the dartboard’s structure and strategic battlefield.
Treble 20
The treble 20 — the dartboard’s golden real estate. Nestled in the thin inner ring of the 20 segment, each hit scores 60 points, the game’s highest single throw. Pros live and die by it, stacking darts here to rack up 180s. Small, narrow, and unforgiving, it demands laser accuracy but rewards with unmatched scoring power — the jackpot of dart strategy.
Number Ring
The number ring — the dartboard’s guiding compass. It frames the board with 1–20 arranged in a clever, non-sequential order designed to punish sloppy aim. Miss the 20? You might snag a 1 or 5 instead. Removable on quality boards, it can be rotated to spread wear evenly. More than decoration, the ring defines scoring, precision, and dartboard longevity.
Bullseye
The bullseye — the dartboard’s prized center. Split into two rings: the tiny inner (50 points) and the outer (25 points). Hitting it can clinch a game, impress a crowd, or save you from chasing doubles. Its small size and central placement make it both the ultimate target and the hardest shot, symbolizing precision and high-stakes accuracy in darts.
